Slammin Sammy Snead's swing and distance

[Freddy300]

I was looking at an old book and there were some pictures of Sam Snead. I am in my mid 40s and I remember he was retiring about the time I was a child. I was impressed by the pictures circa late 1960s I think. He really torqued hard and looked like he hit it a ton. Anyone know how far he hit it back in those days? I can see why he had he nickname Slammin Sammy.

[ktbfsu]

the golf channel sometimes airs a show called "celebrity golf with sam snead". it involves a competent celebrity golfer playing sam in a nine hole match with the celeb getting whatever shots his handicap entitles him to. i've seen episodes with jerry lewis, james garner, dean martin, harpo marx, mickey rooney and prolly a few i'm forgetting. sammy always manages to bust a few out there in the 280 plus range - and obviously he was using persimmon, steel shaft, balata, etc. very sweet swinger.

 

there is a restaurant in orlando called sam snead's (it's part of a chain) - it has a large picture of him at the moment of impact at some tourney in the 30's. his arms have veins and muscles popping out all over the place - he looks extraordinarily athletic in that picture. i've always heard he could kick the top of a door frame even into his 50's - and he supposedly could bend down and pick a ball out of the cup without bending his knees. his main rival, hogan, thought enough of sam's natural ability to say that if he caddied for sam, everyone would be playing for second place. (a tip of the hat to sam's considerable physical gifts, but a knock on his course management skills)

[hoganfan924]

Kurt,

 

From what I've read, Sam could kick the top of a door frame into his 70's and he took batting practice once with the Red Sox when he was in his 40's. Ted Williams is reported to have said "If Sam had taken up baseball instead of golf, you'd have never heard of me." From what's been reported about Snead, he may well have been the greatest athlete ever to play the game.

[Freddy300]

Thanks for interesting input guys. Yeah I was stunned to see some of his photos of his drives. Really musling the ball. Looks like those wild long drive guys on the Krank golf web site.

 

I would love to see him playing golf with other celebs. I will watch for it on the Golf Channel. Jerry Lewis, Dino and Garner were golf nuts. Garner was a real athlete. Ted Williams was arguably the best hitter ever in baseball. If he had not served twice in the service they reckon he would have the home run record excepting steroid Barry Bonds. Ted was a golf nut but I am sure he believed Sammy woul dhave been a great BB player. Sam looked like Roger Maris when Sam was hitting golf balls. Maris looked like bull in the batter swing photos.

 

I have circa 1970s Wilson Dynapower clubs with wooden woods that have metal on the face. I cannot imagine Sammy hitting the ball 280 yards. Amazing. I really respect tiger, phil, Vijay ...et al today....but the clubs Sammy, Hogan and Bobby Jones used were pretty primative. They really were incredible players.

[dana dahlquist]

Sam was very flexible as a player. Now I am just thinking and I could be wrong. I believe it came alot from bailing hay, which is had to do and makes you super strong....

[Golfdog]

My favorite "Sam Sneadism" is that when he wanted to hit a really long dirve, he'd try to swing 1/10,000 of a second slower. Of course, you can't actually do that, but the thought kept him from rushing or shortening his swing, and allow him to crush the ball.

[Swingtheclub]

My favorite pic of Sam is just before impact and that perfect bowlegged position he was in right before he ripped through it.

 

I saw him play in person in the early eightys he was late sixtys at the time, he was still amazing.

 

If you want to learn a bit about Sam read his biography. "The Education of a Golfer" It is and incredible read and will give you some insight on his athletic ability , personality and competitive spirit. Plus make you belly laugh several times.

 

Sam gets a knock on his career for not winning the Open (second four times) but I think 82 tour wins fourteen senior wins and 7 majors says plenty for his course management.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Snead

 

 

He was a winner from the beginning to the end of his career, and incredible talent and athlete.

 

Ken

[Swingtheclub]

a look at the bowlegs power baby

 

 

 

 

 

do I think this swing was perfect uhhhhhhhhhh nope but it was beautiful

 

 

Ken

[Tiltswing]

There are some stories of sam hitting 300 yard drives.

[golfpunk]

I read some old clippings somewhere before that said Sam Snead won a long drive contest. The contest required the total distance of three drives. Snead's total was a shade over a 1,000 yards.

[mat562]

If I remember correctly, he used a very heavy driver - with a swingweight somewhere in the E range.

 

An interesting story about Snead is that he was once reminiscing about his old faithful driver and commented that 'you can't beat the feel of persimmon' or something similar. Someone apparently then took a close look at the club and realised that the clubhead was apparently laminated maple. Snead had apparently played it for years without realising...

[Swingtheclub]

Matt

 

Sam was with Wilson a long time and they were the king of Lamination. Although I believe that is what you heard I still think Sam could tell the difference .

 

For some if not much of his career he used a driver by Izett that was like a telephone pole and very heavy.

 

 

A story during the Western Open one year Sam left his clubs in the bag room at Beverly. My friend was one of the assisstants there at the time.

 

He told the bag room people don't let anyone touch my bag.

 

Night came every one left my friend left with the job of locking up was alone. He found himself standing in front of Sam's bag.

 

The headcover comes off the driver (not sure if it was the Izett or not) my friend checks it out grabs a ball and slips out side.

 

He can feel the shaft is stiff as he tees it up in the dark. Now this guy was a fine player but he said the shaft was so stiff he did not even get it airborne more than a couple of feet.

 

He took it back cleaned it up and put it back in the bag exactly as he found it.

 

The next day Sam came to get his clubs he and his caddy walked up to his bag.

 

"Who the ^*&^*%*%*^(^() has been messing with my *)*)^&(^(^&(&&( bag. My friend just managed to keep from messing his pants but did not say a word. Sam's caddy grabbed his clubs and they left.

 

Now think about it Sam new someone was going to mess with his clubs and was having a little fun.

 

Did you know that Sam played Wilson Staff 0's what a wonderful character.

 

Ken

[Freddy300]

There are some stories of sam hitting 300 yard drives.

 

I have an old book at home circa 1978 but the photos were probably a bit earlier. Sam iss in a photo swing sequence with photo credit for Wilson as Sam was probably using Wilson at the time. I can tell when he finishes his swing that I think he is using Wilson Dynapower woods. I have an almost identical set in my garage. They are still pretty good. I may even regrip the irons. 30+ years old and they are pretty good. I may take them to the range to see.

 

Those woods have a brass plate at the bottom and a a piece of metal on the face with True Temper shafts. I find it staggering that Sam could hit 300 + yards with the old clubs versus the robo clubs today. He was a bull to hit drives that far. Really amazing.

[ktbfsu]

ken,

 

sam played longer than anybody else.....he had one of the greatest swings ever....prolly THE greatest combination of natural grace and power the tour has ever seen.....he's arguably the most athletic guy to ever play on the tour (tiger's in the discussion).....and, he won more events than anybody else in the history of the game. you can make a heck of an argument he shouda won more than seven majors.....yeah, he struggled mightily with the flat stick, especially as he got older, but there are folks who believe he had some course management challenges. it's hard to view the following as a course management issue, but for snead it was: he was so dadgum gifted and powerful that he believed he could hit any shot.

 

in sum, seven majors out of 82 tour wins cuts both ways. you point to it to prove course management was not a weakness. others view that question differently. one thing i'll concede is that you know a lot more about snead than i do. i'm a fan of his, i've read up on him to some extent, i've watched some videos of him and i love that celebrity golf show...but i've not studied him intensely and i never saw him play live.

 

my favorite sam snead story: one day he was playing rio pinar. it's the site of the old florida citrus open (it's my home track - and i've heard this story several times, so i assume it's true). number 6 at rio is a par 5 that's reachable for reasonably powerful hitters by playing the ball down 6 fairway in traditional fashion. however, you can really shorten the hole by busting the ball right off the tee box, and playing down 5 fairway. to discourage this short cut, the club planted some palm trees - now fully grown in - that require you to really hit it high to go down 5. well, shortly after the trees had grown reasonably tall, snead was playing with some young whippersnapper who turned to him on 6 tee and asked him about the "down 5 fairway" route to the green. supposedly sam told him he easily and routinely cleared the trees and that it was great way to really shorten the hole. then, of course, the kid proceeded to bust one flush into the top of a palm tree. when the whippersnapper looked at sam with a sorta "hey, what gives?" look after hitting that shot, sam put his hand to his chin and said "but the trees were only about this high when i hit it down 5".

[Swingtheclub]

You know I have heard that story from different golf courses lots of times. Currently it is a TV commercial without Sam watch for it.

 

Not sure where it really happened it may have been at your home course.

 

 

At the Amana VIP at the University of Iowa course called Finkbine I was watching Sam play a par five. He pulled out a fairway wood from a little over two hundred yards on a par five. He was looking right at me and I kind of shook my head.

 

This hole had a rock hard fairway you could run the ball sixty yds. He hit it anyway right at the hole and the ball went over the green.

 

Naturally the fans standing on the back of the green stopped it in the fringe. He had about a twenty foot eagle chip or putt.

 

He turned and grinned at me . As if to say they were not going to let old Sams ball go over the green. It was for me a special moment.

 

If you have not read the book I mentioned read it you will love it.

 

Ken

[Dixie Flatline]

the golf channel sometimes airs a show called "celebrity golf with sam snead". it involves a competent celebrity golfer playing sam in a nine hole match with the celeb getting whatever shots his handicap entitles him to.

 

If that wasn't a hustle, I don't know what is. Sam got beat once in the history of the series. These guys get only their full handicap (should get more, as Sam was obviously a +) and then have to play on TV with the Slammer. Odds are kind of against them, aren't they? : )

[ktbfsu]

that's so funny - the rio old timers tell that story - and i assumed it was true - but it's very prolly rio pinar urban legend in light of the fact you've heard it about other courses. very funny. i'm gonna rag on some of them the next time i see them! the only thing that makes me think "maybe" is that rio was an old tour stop, and 6 does set up with palm trees blocking the "down 5 fairway" route.

 

that's a great story about the 5 wood - a personal connection. i've always heard his galleries were perfectly willing to serve as human backboards - he won the old greensboro open eight times (a tour record) and supposedly never missed a green no matter how errantly he may have hit an approach shot.